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Westpac Banking Corp has closed a HK$100 million ($12.82 million) FRN. The trade, which was managed by Goldman Sachs, pays interest of 3m Hibor+13. It is due to be issued on April 18 and has a maturity of five years. It is the issuer's 20th trade this year and its 10th in Hong Kong dollar off the $12.5 billion debt instrument programme, arranged by Morgan Stanley Dean Witter in 1997.

Akbank, the second largest bank in Turkey, this week completed a $100m securitisation backed by its future revenues from processing credit card vouchers for VISA, MasterCard, American Express and other systems. Lead managed by Bank of America, the issue is the second Akbank has raised off these assets.

Barclays Capital lead managed its first public ABS deal for a US issuer in dollars this week, enhancing the firm's claim to be regarded as a contender in the American fixed income market. The transaction was a $300m global issue for Advanta Corp, parcelling the business card portfolio that is now the company's only credit card operation.

Italian bank Bipop-Carire, which made its securitisation debut with a Eu590m residential mortgage deal in January, this week launched a second transaction backed by high quality consumer loans. Lead managed, like the first issue, by ABN Amro, the Eu277.77m deal parcelled consumer loans extended to employees of large corporations and public entities with loan payments deducted from the borrower's salary.

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter launched the fifth in its series of conduit securitisations of UK commercial mortgages this week, and achieved the tightest senior pricing yet for the 18 month old programme. European Loan Conduit No 5 offered £524.91m of FRNs backed by 13 loans secured on 72 properties. The average loan to value ratio is 75.7% and maximum LTV is 83%.

Igroup Limited, the UK non-conforming mortgage lender, launched a £200m securitisation this week that achieved tight spreads compared with recent issues in the sector. Lead managed by Credit Suisse First Boston, Originated Mortgage Loans 8 plc offered a £176m senior tranche rated triple-A by Fitch and Standard & Poor's. The note was priced at 40bp over one month Libor with an average life of 2.1 years and 2008 expected maturity.

HSBC Bank, the former Midland Bank, this week delivered on its promise of becoming a regular issuer of collateralised loan obligations. The bank launched two almost identical three and five year securitisations from its master trust, Clover Securitisation Ltd, which is backed by the bank's loans to investment grade UK corporates.

Robert Palache, one of the most high profile figures in the European ABS market, resigned from his post as co-head of securitisation at Nomura in London this week. The bank issued a statement which quoted Palache as saying: "I have immensely enjoyed my time at Nomura, and I would like to express my appreciation to all the talented people I have worked with.

RBS Financial Markets and Schroder Salomon Smith Barney this week began marketing the £2.026bn bond issue that will finance the sale of Welsh Water, the UK utility, to an equity-less company that will run the business in the interests of customers. The transaction will repay bridge debt that the leads have extended to Western Power Distribution (WPD), a consortium of US electricity companies that bought Welsh Water last year.

Rheinische Hypothekenbank last Friday raised Eu1.539bn with its second securitisation of multi-jurisdictional European commercial mortgages. Lead managed by Commerzbank, Europa Two Ltd is a little larger than Rheinhyp's first transaction a year ago - a Eu1.345bn issue led by Barclays Capital (books) and Commerzbank.

WR Grace is the latest asbestos-related name to take a fall due to litigation. The company announced a surge of lawsuits this year and says it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. A total of $10 to $15 million traded between 40 and 50.

Wall Street firms, including J.P. Morgan and Salomon Smith Barney, are gearing up to recommend long single-stock vol positions on companies about to report earnings. While earnings seasons often offer opportunities for going long vol via buying straddles, calls or puts, this season should present plenty of opportunities to benefit from long vol positions given overall negative investor sentiment, said New York-based equity strategists. Worse-than-expected earnings releases from one company can send shockwaves through the entire market.